System and method for controlling illumination in a vision system

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a system and method for enabling control of an illuminator having predetermined operating parameters by a vision system processor/core based upon stored information regarding parameters that are integrated with the illuminator. The parameters are retrieved by the processor, and are used to control the operation of the illuminator and/or the camera during image acquisition. In an embodiment, the stored parameters are a discrete numerical or other value that corresponds to the illuminator type. The discrete value maps to a corresponding value in look-up table/database associated with the camera that contains parameter sets associated with each of a plurality of values in the database. The data associated with the discrete value in the camera contains the necessary parameters or settings for that illuminator type. In other embodiments, some or all of the actual parameter information can be stored with the illuminator and retrieved by the camera processor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to vision systems and more particularly toilluminators and control of illumination in a vision system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vision systems that perform measurement, inspection, alignment ofobjects and/or decoding of symbology (e.g. bar codes) are used in a widerange of applications and industries. These systems are based around theuse of an image sensor, which acquires images (typically grayscale orcolor, and in one, two or three dimensions) of the subject or object,and processes these acquired images using an on-board or remote,interconnected vision system processor. The processor generally includesboth processing hardware and non-transitory computer-readable programinstructions that perform one or more vision system processes togenerate a desired output based upon the image's processed information.This image information is typically provided within an array of imagepixels each having various colors and/or intensities. In the example ofa symbology (barcode) reader, the user or automated process acquires animage of an object that is believed to contain one or more barcodes. Theimage is processed to identify barcode features, which are then decodedby a decoding process and/or processor obtain the inherent alphanumericdata represented by the code. In other types of vision systems, variousvision system tools (e.g. edge detectors, calipers, blob analysis) areemployed by the system processor to detect edges and other features thatallow for recognition of object features, and the determination ofdesired information based upon these features—for example whether theobject is defective or whether it is properly aligned.

It is increasingly desirable to provide vision systems and associatedvision system components that can be used for a variety of purposes anda range of environments. Likewise, vision systems that can takeadvantage of improved technologies, such as more-efficient illuminatorsare desirable. In any vision system, a major component is the visionsystem camera assembly. The camera assembly includes a lens (optics) andan imager (or “sensor”) that provides the array of image pixelinformation. The vision system processor receives the pixel data fromthe imager/sensor and processes it to derive useful vision systeminformation about the imaged scene and/or object. The vision systemprocessor and related components (e.g. data memory, decoders, etc.) canbe provided within the camera assembly's physical housing or enclosure,or some or all of these vision processing components can be mountedremotely (e.g. within a PC, or other remote, self-contained processingsystem), and linked by a wired or wireless interconnect.

Another significant component of many vision system cameras is theillumination assembly. To adequately acquire an image of an object's (orscene's) surface, it is desirable to illuminate it with illuminationthat exhibits the appropriate intensity, spread, wavelength and timingfor a particular acquisition task. Depending upon the features beingimaged and the relative angle of the camera axis to the features, thetype and characteristics of illumination employed can vary widely. Forexample, some features (e.g. peened features) can be best imaged usinglow-angle illumination, while other features (e.g. printed,high-contrast features) are typically best imaged using direct,high-angle illumination. Likewise, the wavelength of illumination canvary depending on the nature of the features—that is, some features arebest illuminated in the visible range, while others may be enhancedusing infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) light. Likewise, for someapplications it is desirable to employ polarized light and/or to filterthe light entering the camera with a polarizer or other appropriateoptical filter. Many camera systems include a ring illuminationarrangement consisting of one or more rows of that encircle the cameralens. These illuminators can be external and remote from the camerahousing, but are also often “internal”, being fixed in place on thefront of the camera. A common form of ring illuminator, which surroundsthe camera lens, is constructed on a circuit board that contains apredetermined number of lighting elements in one or more circles aroundthe lens axis. The lighting elements on a typical illuminator are LEDs,but other types of light sources (e.g. xenon strobes, laser diodes, etc)can also be employed, either as an alternative to LEDs or in addition toLEDs.

In an external illuminator, a dedicated light arrangement is typicallyused to provide desired illumination to the scene from a desired vantagepoint that can be remote from the camera and its lens axis. It istypically interconnected with the camera assembly or other device by acable that provides trigger signals from the camera and can provideother data to and from the camera. The external illuminator is typicallypre-configured with an appropriate light source, controller, andinterface circuit that is adapted to connect to most camera assemblies.The external lighting arrangement is typically user-installable andconfigurable.

With conventional internal lighting systems, most camera manufacturersprevent the user from installing or changing-out the lighting systemthat is integrated in the camera. One reason that the internalillumination assembly is not adapted for exchangeability is that thereexists a risk of installation and/or configuration errors by the enduser. This is because the camera may be set to acquire images based upona certain set of illumination parameters, that when changed, may not beaccommodated by the camera's vision processor (or “core”) and lightingcontroller. These illumination parameters can include (but are notlimited to) operating voltage and current, startup timing, maximum timeon, maximum temperature, maximum power and the light intensity for agiven level of output current. Failure to properly accommodate theseparameters within the camera can result in poor image acquisition oreven damage to the equipment.

As noted above, the ability to provide a more-versatile and upgradablevision system is desirable. Part of the desired versatility andupgradability is the ability to provide an illuminator to the camerathat is particularly suited to the vision task and straightforward toset up without the risk of improperly setting parameters. Moreover, theability to change out that illuminator at a subsequent time (e.g. in thefield) is further desirable). This exchangeability is particularlydesirable with illuminators that are controlled internally, but alsowith external illuminators that may require some control by the cameraassembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention overcomes disadvantages of the prior art by providing asystem and method for enabling control of an illuminator havingpredetermined operating parameters by a vision system processor/corebased upon stored information about the parameters that are integratedwith the illuminator. The parameters are retrieved by the processor atpredetermined times (e.g. at camera startup) and are used to control theoperation of the illuminator and/or the camera during image acquisition.In an embodiment, the stored parameters are a discrete numerical orother value (e.g. a preset analog resistance value) that corresponds tothe illuminator type. The discrete value maps to a corresponding valuein look-up table/database associated with the camera that contains setsof parameters respectively associated with each a plurality of values inthe database. The data associated with the discrete value in the cameracontains the necessary parameters or settings for that illuminator type.In other embodiments, some or all of the actual parameter informationcan be stored with the illuminator and retrieved by the cameraprocessor.

In an illustrative embodiment, a system and method for controllingillumination of a vision system camera an image sensor in the camerathat performs image acquisition. An illuminator is removably coupled tothe vision system camera and typically linked by an electrical connectorand/or cable, or alternatively by a wireless link. An information sourceis operatively connected with the illuminator, and is typicallyintegrated with the illuminator's circuit board. This information sourcecontains predetermined information indicative of parameters of theilluminator. The system and method further provides a controller thatreads and identifies the predetermined information, and thereby controlsat least one of (a) the image acquisition by the image sensor and (b)signals provided to control the illuminator based upon the parametersindicated for the illuminator.

In an embodiment, the illuminator is internal, being mounted on ahousing of the vision system camera. Moreover, the predeterminedinformation comprises a value that corresponds to a set of parametersfor a predetermined type of illuminator. This set of parameters isstored with respect to the controller within a memory of the visionsystem camera. The memory can be integrated directly into theprocessor/core, or interconnected with it. The parameters of theilluminator can include at least one of illuminator operating current,operating voltage, illumination intensity, and timing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary vision system camera having amounted internal illuminator with a predetermined configuration thatincludes stored parameter information, and an exchangeable illuminatorwith a differing configuration/parameters that can be mounted by themanufacturer or by an end user to provide a specific configuration ofillumination;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vision system camera of FIG. 1 showingthe functional components thereof, including those for storage andretrieval of parameter information;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a data store on an illuminator circuitboard using an exemplary arrangement of analog resistors (among othertypes of value-based information sources) that define a discrete valueand a circuit integrated with the camera for retrieving this valueaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a is a block diagram showing a data store on an illuminatorcircuit board using a memory that provides alphanumeric informationdirectly related to the parameters of the illuminator and a data pathinto the camera processor/core according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a generalized flow diagram of an illuminator identificationand control process according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a vision system camera according to anotherembodiment having a ring illuminator surrounding a lens having storedparameter information; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a vision system camera in communication with anexternal illuminator having stored parameter information according toyet another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vision system camera arrangement 100 thatincludes an internal illuminator assembly 110 removably (or permanently)mounted on the front face of the camera enclosure or housing 120. Theshape/form factor of the illuminator 110 is highly variable in alternateembodiments, as is the technique by which it is secured to the camera.As used herein, the term “illuminator” shall refer generally to internalilluminators that are controlled by the camera processor/core, andexternal illuminators that communicate with the vision system camera andrely on the setting of at least some parameters within the processor orcore (see FIG. 7, below). Also, as used herein, the term “processor” inrelation to the camera core shall refer to one or more processingcomponents that are generally contained within the camera unit, but thatcan be (at least in part) located remote from the camera unit enclosureand that carry out the illustrative functions described herein. Thesefunctions include control of the illuminator and settings that aredependent on the illuminator's parameters. Other image processing andcamera-control functions can also be performed by the “processor.”

The illustrative illuminator 110 includes an array of light elements(e.g. high-output LEDs) 114 arranged around a lens 122 that opticallycommunicates with an image sensor (or “imager”) of conventional or noveldesign (not shown). The imager can reside on a circuit board within thecamera's housing 120 that also includes the camera's imageprocessor/core 126 (shown as a dashed-line box). The LEDs 114 reside ona circuit board 130 (shown in phantom). The circuit board 130 isinterconnected with the camera via a detachable or fixed interconnection132 (also shown in phantom). In this embodiment, the interconnectionincludes a detachable multi-pin connector that interfaces with acorresponding connector on or in the camera housing.

The camera arrangement 100 can allow for interconnection of power,networks and/or interface devices (e.g. PCs, handheld computers,Smartphones, and the like) for setup, programming, diagnostics andgeneral data handling via one or more wired link(s) 132 (and/or wirelesslink(s) 133). The camera can also include various indicators 134 forpower, status and other vision system functions (e.g. positiveidentification of a recognized part or feature).

As shown, the camera arrangement 100 offers a choice of illuminatortypes with differing configurations or characteristics. By way ofexample, in addition to the mounted illuminator 110, the camera assemblyaccommodates another type of illuminator 150. In this example, thesecond illuminator 150 includes a second bank of light elements 152 inaddition to the ring illuminator LEDs 154. A similar connector 156 isused to interconnect the illuminator with the camera in this embodiment.The depicted examples are generally part of wide variety of examples inwhich the camera can potentially accommodate two or more illuminatorshave differing configurations and/or operating parameters. When aparticular illuminator is connected to the camera, its associatedparameters must be taken into account by the system. Failure to properlyset the parameters can result in poor image acquisition or even damageto camera components, as described above.

With reference to FIG. 2, the functional blocks of the vision systemcamera 220 and an illustrative illuminator 210 are shown in a simplifiedblock diagram 200. The Illuminator block 210 includes the illuminationsource 212, which can include various light elements (e.g. LEDs), powersupply and other operational components that represent a certain set ofparameters. Also provided is an information source 214 that contains aform of information related to the specific parameters of theilluminator. The contents of the information source are describedfurther below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. This information source214 can be operatively connected to the illuminator by a varietytechniques. For example, the information source can comprise a separatecircuit and/or circuit board that is housed within an overall enclosureof the illuminator. Illustratively, the information source 214 canreside on one of the illuminator's circuit boards. For the purposes ofillustration the illuminator's circuit board(s) are represented by thedashed box 222 surrounding the processes and processing components. Boththe illumination source 212 and the information source are linked via aconnection (removable, fixed, etc.) represented as dashed-line box 230to the operative components of the camera 220. As shown, theillumination source 212 communicates with the illumination controlprocess/processor 240, which can be part of the overall cameraprocessor/core 250. The configuration information in the informationsource 214 is linked to a configuration retrieval process/processor 260,that reads the information contained in (or integrated with) theilluminator 210, and enables the processor/core 250 to determining thetype and/or parameters of the connected illuminator. As used herein, theterm “integrated” shall mean that the element is typically carried withthe underlying component. It can be on a common circuit board of thecomponent or otherwise contained within a housing or enclosure thatcontains the component. For the purposes of illustration the camera'scircuit board(s) are represented by the dashed box 262 surrounding theprocesses and processing components. The integrated element is providedso that it moves with the component when it is attached to or detachedfrom another component.

With reference also to the block diagram 300 of FIG. 3 in addition tothe overview of FIG. 2, an illustrative embodiment of the camera andilluminator arrangement is shown in further functional/structural detailwith respect to the illuminator and camera circuit boards (222 and 262).As shown in FIG. 3, the retrieved configuration information (stored inthe information source 214) illustratively specifies the type ofilluminator as a numerical value 310. This type (e.g. 1-32) isassociated by the processor/core 250 with a set of information (dashedblock 350) stored within the data store 270 that is integrated with theprocessor/core 250. More particularly, the illustrative embodimentemploys a pair or analog resistors R1 and R2 on the illuminator circuitboard 222 that allow a number of resistance values to be set based onthe specific type of illuminator. In an embodiment, 32 discreteresistance values can be set and are sensed by a conventional sensingcircuit (e.g. an analog-to-digital converter) 330. This circuit 330passes a numerical value 310 to the processor/core, which runs aconfiguration lookup process 340 based upon the number. This lookupprocess 340 retrieves (see dashed arrow 360) the set of storedconfigurations and/or parameters 350 from the on board data store (whichcan reside on one of the camera circuit boards or directly within thecircuit die of the processor/core 250). The number is associated with aconfiguration/parameter data entry in the data store 270. In otherwords, selecting type #1 retrieves the values Voltage V1, Current C1,Timing T1, etc. for use in setting the cameras parameters andcontrolling the illuminator. Conversely selecting type 22 retrievesvalues Voltage V22, Current C22, Timing, T22, etc. The setting of thecamera's imaging and/or illuminator control parameters is accomplishedby a setting process 280 (see FIG. 2) within the processor or core 250,can operate to change camera and/or illumination control settings usingconventional programming techniques based upon the retrievedillumination parameters.

The illustrative arrangement of FIG. 3 significantly limits the amountof data needed within the illuminator itself (reducing illuminatorcost), and takes advantage of the large data memory typically availablein a camera core. In an alternate embodiment, the resistors R1 and R2can be replaced with another (typically numeric) information source,such as a circuit that provides a digital value as to illuminator type.This is illustrated in FIG. 3 as the generalized dashed-line block 360surrounding the illustrative resistors. Where the information is in adigital (or other directly readable form), the sense circuit can be acircuit or function adapted to read the information for its value, whichis then passed on to the lookup process 340. Notably, the illustrativearrangement allows the camera to be updated to account for new types ofilluminators, which become part of the on-board/integrated data store270 as they become available.

By way of example, when a camera is updated via its interface link, itcan receive several new types of illuminator with associated numericaldata look-up values and parameters (e.g. new types 33-48). Some of thesenew types can be improved versions of an existing illuminator, in whicha higher intensity, lower-power LED arrangement is employed. Becauseconstant improvement in LED technology leads to more efficientilluminators, it is significant to be able to accommodate the ability tochange out an older illuminator with a newer, more efficientilluminator. If the new operating parameters are not accommodated, thecamera may over-drive the new, more-efficient illuminator by using theold settings. The illustrative embodiment ensures that the settings areproper to the new illuminator, eliminating the risk of over-driving thenew replacement unit.

While it is generally advantageous to provide the parameter informationwithin a store integrated with the camera, there are various embodimentsthat can benefit from providing some or all of the actual parameter datadirectly integrated with the illuminator itself. FIG. 4 shows a moredetailed block diagram 400 of the circuit boards (222, 262) with respectto FIG. 2 in which numeric or alphanumeric parameter data 412 is storedwithin a circuit or other memory device 410 integrated with theilluminator. In this case, the retrieval process 420 within the cameradirectly provides the parameter data 412 to the settings process withinthe processor/core 250. The parameter data on a particular illuminatoris formatted in a known manner that enables the parameters of anyilluminator within a given group of illuminator types to be read andused to set camera and/or illumination control settings. In this manner,both the illuminators “information source” and the configuration “datastore” are a single element that is integrated with the illuminator andnot the camera. In this embodiment, the camera can store information(for example in data store 270) that allows the settings process to beupgraded to accommodate new types of parameters if they are provided ona newer illuminator.

FIG. 5 shows a generalized flow diagram 500 for runtime configuration ofa vision system camera arrangement using an illuminator in accordancewith an illustrative embodiment, such as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.Either during startup (step 510) or at another time (e.g. upon upgradeor illuminator installation), or based upon a given event (see below),the configuration process 500 checks the information source integratedwith the illuminator for the stored configuration information (step520). Optionally (see below) the process 500 can then use a decisionstep 524 (shown in phantom as optional, and described further below) todecide whether the configuration information has changed since the lastperformance of the process 500. This can comprise a comparison of theretrieved information with a stored/cached version of the information inthe core. If the information is unchanged the process can return viabranch 526 to step 510 to await the next event. If the information haschanged, the process 500 proceeds to the next step 530. In step 530,based upon the retrieved information (e.g. a type number), the cameraprocessor/core accesses the specific parameters associated with theilluminator's type number. Note that the optional decision step 524 canalso be performed after step 530. In either case, the decision step canserve to reduce processing overhead by avoiding resetting parameters inthe next step (setting process step 540). The settings process step 540then applies the parameters to illumination control and/or the camera'simage acquisition functions to enable proper operation of thearrangement during runtime operation (step 550). The settings can beretained after camera shutdown, or reset each time the configurationprocess 500 is performed.

In an alternate embodiment the parameter-information-retrieval andsetting process (500 above) can be performed at various times during theoperation of the camera arrangement (e.g. during runtime). The timing ofthe performance of the process can be random, semi-random, continuous(e.g. a regular polling of the information on the illuminator), or basedon an event, such as a certain elapsed time after a prior event (e.g.startup or the previous performance of the process) or after a givennumber of images have been acquired. In performing the process, adecision step 524 (described above), can be used to confirm that thecurrent configuration settings have not changed from a previous check ofthe information in the illuminator. If so, the process can return toawait the next event (step 510) rather than performing the full settingsprocess, thereby reducing some processing overhead.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of a vision system cameraarrangement 600 that includes a housing 610 with a lens assembly 630 onits front face 632. One or more circuit boards (e.g. circuit board 640,shown in phantom) are enclosed within the housing, and include a sensorand other processing components (collectively termed a “processor” or“core”) that allow control of camera settings and the illuminatorassembly 650. These elements can function generally in the mannerdescribed above (see, for example, FIG. 2). That is, the processingcomponents can retrieve parameter information from the illuminator andemploy this information to operate a settings process that sets thecamera to properly control the illuminator and/or the camera's imageacquisition based on the parameters. In this embodiment, the illuminatorassembly 650 is a ring illuminator mounted on the front face 632 andsurrounds the lens 630. It comprises a circuit board 652, with aplurality of light elements (e.g. LEDs) 654. The circuit board includesan integrated information source 660, as described herein, that isinterconnected as described above with the processor components (e.g.board 640). In this embodiment, the ring illuminator is assembled by themanufacturer, and can be either fixed or removable, based upon themounting technique employed and/or electrical connections. The storedinformation (660) is provided to the processor/core as described aboveto allow control of the illuminator and/or image acquisition functions.Various interconnections and interface links (not shown) can be used toallow transfer of power and data as appropriate. This arrangementensures that the proper setting to control the illuminator and/or cameraare provided for a give installed illuminator. In addition to makingupgrades to new illuminators easier, this also aids the manufacturingprocess and ensures quality.

FIG. 7 is another embodiment showing a generalized vision system cameraassembly 700, having a lens 710, and a housing 712 that encloses assensor and various processing components (i.e. the “processor” or“core”) on one or more circuit boards (e.g. board 720, shown inphantom). The processing components function generally in a mannerdescribed above. That is, the processing components can retrieveparameter information from the illuminator and employ this informationto operate a settings process that sets the camera to properly controlthe illuminator and/or the camera's image acquisition based on theparameters. In this embodiment, the illuminator 750 is shown mounted inan external configuration. The type of illuminator is highly variable,and the example in this arrangement is a strobe. In this example, theilluminator 750 receives power from an external source. In alternateembodiments power can be provided by the camera 700. The illuminator 750is interconnected with the camera 700 and its associated processingcomponents by a link 760 that can be wired, wireless or both. This linkprovides control and trigger data as well as information related to theilluminator's parameters, which is stored in an information sourcerepresented by dashed box 770. The retrieval of parameter information bythe camera processor occurs in a manner described above. In this casethe data travels from a remote location where the illuminator is mountedvia the link 760. The information source 770 can be mounted on a circuitboard of the illuminator or otherwise interconnected so that it canprovide the parameter-related information over the link. In any of theembodiments herein, the parameter information transferred from theilluminator can be a numeric (or equivalent) value that is used by thecamera to access a data store with parameter sets, or it can be some orall of the actual parameter information in numeric or alphanumeric form.

It should be clear that the illuminator and associated vision systemcamera of the various embodiments described herein provides astraightforward and highly reliable system and method for accommodatingdiffering types of illuminators. This system and method avoids the riskof providing improper settings to the camera, and ensures that anyupgrades and/or improvements in the illuminator are readily accommodatedby the camera.

The foregoing has been a detailed description of illustrativeembodiments of the invention. Various modifications and additions can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Eachof the various embodiments described above may be combined with otherdescribed embodiments in order to provide multiple features.Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number of separateembodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention, whathas been described herein is merely illustrative of the application ofthe principles of the present invention. For example, any of theprocesses or procedures performed herein can be accomplished usingelectronic hardware, software, in the form of a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of program instructions, or a combination ofhardware and software. Also, the term “process” is used herein should betaken broadly to include hardware and software based process blocks,which can be combined, in whole or in part, with other process blocks.Likewise, a given process or processor can be divided into a pluralityof sub-processes or sub-processors as appropriate. Moreover, where anumerical value is specified, this value can be equivalently provided asa series of letters or other symbols (either single letters/symbols orcombinations of letters/symbols) that allow differentiation betweenstates to allow identification of a type of illuminator. Thus the term“numeric” or “numerical” should be taken broadly to include othersymbols besides numbers. additionally, where components are shownresiding on a particular circuit board, this is meant to be by way ofexample of a variety of techniques for mounting and integrating variouselectronic components, which can include placing certain components ondiscrete circuit boards or other packages that can be fixed or removable(e.g. a removable flash memory for storing various settings,configuration and other data). Accordingly, this description is meant tobe taken only by way of example, and not to otherwise limit the scope ofthis invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for controlling illumination of a visionsystem camera having an image sensor comprising: a vision system camerahaving an image sensor that performs image acquisition; an illuminatorcoupled to the vision system camera; an information source operativelyconnected with the illuminator that stores predetermined informationindicative of parameters of the illuminator; and a controller beingconstructed and arranged to read and identify the predeterminedinformation and control at least one of (a) the image acquisition by theimage sensor and (b) signals provided to control the illuminator basedupon the parameters indicated for the illuminator.
 2. The system as setforth in claim 1 wherein the illuminator is mounted on a housing of thevision system camera.
 3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein thepredetermined information comprises a value that corresponds to a set ofparameters for a predetermined type of illuminator, the set ofparameters being stored with respect to the controller within a memoryof the vision system camera.
 4. The system as set froth in claim 3wherein the information source comprises an analog resistor arrangementintegrated with the illuminator, the resistor arrangement having apredetermined resistance value associated with the predetermined type ofilluminator.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein the memorycomprises a data store having a plurality of entries, each with discreteparameters associated with a respective type of illuminator.
 6. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the parameters of the illuminatorinclude at least one of illuminator operating current, operatingvoltage, illumination intensity, and timing.
 7. The system as set forthin claim 5 wherein the controller is constructed and arranged toretrieve the parameters from a data store integrated with theilluminator.
 8. A system for controlling illumination of a vision systemcamera having an image sensor comprising: a vision system camera havingan image sensor that performs image acquisition and a vision systemprocessor; an illuminator removably coupled to the vision system camera;an information source integrated with the illuminator that storespredetermined information indicative of parameters of the illuminator;and a controller, integrated with a processor core of the vision systemcamera, being constructed and arranged to read and identify thepredetermined information and control at least one of (a) the imageacquisition by the image sensor and (b) signals provided to control theilluminator based upon the parameters indicated for the illuminator. 9.The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the illuminator is mounted ona housing of the vision system camera.
 10. The system as set forth inclaim 8 wherein the predetermined information comprises a value thatcorresponds to a set of parameters for a predetermined type ofilluminator, the set of parameters being stored with respect to thecontroller within a memory of the vision system camera.
 11. The systemas set forth in claim 10 wherein the information source comprises ananalog resistor arrangement integrated with the illuminator, theresistor arrangement having a predetermined resistance value associatedwith the predetermined type of illuminator.
 12. The system as set forthin claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a data store having a pluralityof entries, each with discrete parameters associated with a respectivetype of illuminator.
 13. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein theparameters of the illuminator include at least one of illuminatoroperating current, operating voltage, illumination intensity, andtiming.
 14. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the illuminatoris mounted external of and remote from the housing and is interconnectedthereto by a communication link.
 15. A method for controllingillumination of a vision system camera having an image sensor comprisingthe steps of: coupling a first illuminator to the vision system camera;accessing, by a controller integrated with a processor core of thevision system camera, a first information source that is operativelyconnected with the first illuminator and that stores predeterminedinformation indicative of parameters of the first illuminator; andreading and identifying the predetermined information and controlling atleast one of (a) the image acquisition by the image sensor and (b)signals provided to control the first illuminator based upon theparameters indicated for the first illuminator.
 16. The method as setforth in claim 15 wherein the step of reading and identifying includesretrieving a numerical value representative of a type of illuminator andassociating the numerical value with the parameters stored on a datastore integrated with the processor core.
 17. The method as set forth inclaim 16 further comprising decoupling the first illuminator andcoupling a second illuminator to the vision system camera, andaccessing, by the controller integrated with the processor core of thevision system camera, a second information source that is operativelyconnected with the second illuminator and that stores predeterminedinformation indicative of parameters of the second illuminator, andreading and identifying the predetermined information indicative ofparameters of the second illuminator, and controlling at least one of(a) the image acquisition by the image sensor and (b) signals providedto control the second illuminator based upon the parameters indicatedfor the second illuminator.